OTTAWAâOttawa top public servant said that heâs âdeeply concernedâ about Canadian politics and the direction of the country, warning MPs that divisive political rhetoric could lead to âassassination.âIn a remarkable statement to the House of Commons Justice Committee, Michael Wernick told MPs heâs worried about Canadians âlosing faith in the institutions of governance in this country.ââI worry about foreign interference in the upcoming election,â Wernick, the Clerk of the Privy Council, told MPs.âI worry about the rising tides of incitements to violence when people use terms like âtreasonâ and âtraitorâ in open discourse. Those are the words that lead to assassination.âIâm worried that somebody is going to be shot in this country this year during the political campaign.âWernick, a lifelong public servant who has served both Liberal and Conservative governments, appeared before the committee to discuss his role in the SNC-Lavalin affair.Citing anonymous sources, the Globe and Mail reported earlier this month that Wernick ârebukedâ former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould over her suggestion politicians were paying lip-service to Indigenous reconciliation.Wernick pushed back aggressively against those claims.âIâm here to say to you that the Globe and Mail article contains errors, unfounded speculation, and in some cases is simply defamatory,â Wernick said.But while Wernick answered questions on the SNC-Lavalin affair for over an hour, he clearly had more to say.Wernick specifically criticized Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk over his comments to the âUnited We Rollâ protest on Parliament Hill earlier this week.âI know youâve rolled all the way here, and Iâm going to ask you one more thing. I want you to roll over every Liberal left in the country,â Tkachuk told protestors.Read more:Th ...
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